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Noticed Painful Hard Lump On Side Of Jaw. What Is Causing This And Cure?

Posted on Mon, 31 Dec 2012

Question: painful hard lump under right side of jawHi there,

I am a 35 yr old female about 5'4", 153lbs. I woke up this am with a hard lump under the right side of my jaw, I have noticed it has gotten bigger throughout the day. extremely painful and its a hard lump, no redness or puss, I do not think it's an abscess, I am on vacation right now and I currently have no other symptoms, no teeth pain, not sick at all besides this hard painful lump
under my right jaw. I do work for MDs at Kaiser Permanente back home. Any advice would be very appreciated, if you think it's a swollen gland or lymph node trying to fight off an infection, then I will not worry about it.

Thank You,
XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Gunjan Gupta (45 minutes later)

Hi XXXXXXX ,

Thanks for writing in.
XXXXXXX with the details you provided, there are following possibilities. The exact cause can be diagnosed only with a physical examination.

1.Swollen jaw gland.
2.Salivary gland duct stone.(Most probable cause)
3.Dental caries.
4.Alveolar abscess.
5.Periodontal abscess.
6.Trauma.
7.Bacterial infection etc.

I will suggest you few temporary remedies,until you seek the dental help. These should help to relieve your pain and discomfort to an extend.

1.Do not sleep to right side.
2.Take plenty of water.
3.Take sugar free lemon drops.

Hope this answered your query. If you have any further doubts, I will be available to clarify.

Take Care.
Dr. Gunjan Gupta

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Mohammed Kappan

Follow up: Dr. Gunjan Gupta (5 hours later)

Thank you,
Dr XXXXXXX XXXXXXX

my symptoms got worse, had difficulty swallowing with tounge beginning to swell, took benadryl stat, I can swallow now, tounge swelling went down, still have swelling in my right jaw, now looks reddish colored, I had 2 Mai Tais night before as I am in Hawaii, then woke up with the painful lump in my jaw, had another Mai Tai earlier today and then that's when the swelling and redness occurred along with difficulty swallowing and tounge beginning to swell. I think I had an allergic reaction to the Mai Tais, I've never drank them before. do you think that could be the cause? if other symptoms didn't go away, I was about to call 911 for ambulance as I know this can be very serious. just want to know your thoughts,

Thank You,
XXXXXXX

Answered by Dr. Gunjan Gupta (38 minutes later)

Hi XXXXXXX

Thanks for writing again.

It seems that this is salivary gland duct stone. So I will suggest you take plenty of water,vitamin-c candies and sour fruits. It will increase salivary flow and remove the little obstruction in salivary duct.

If it persists, it can leads to salivary gland infection and symptoms include pain, swelling and fever. In which case you need to visit a specialist(oral surgeon/ENT surgeon) for the surgical removal of obstruction.

Now, you can start taking plenty of water first and visit a specialist as soon as possible to rule out the diagnosis and after thorough examination you can take right treatment.

Please do visit a ENT Surgeon at the earliest, if you feel that the symptoms are aggravating.

Hope this answered your query. If you have further any doubt, I will be happy to help you.

Take Care.
Dr. Gunjan Gupta

Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Mohammed Kappan